Apparatus for leveling railroad-tracks



(No Model.)

1 H. H. SPONENBURG. APPARATUS POR LBVELING RAILROAD TRACKS.

No. 535,631. Patented Mar. 12, 1895.

A TTUHNE YS.

HIRAM H. SPONENBURGQOF WADSVVORTH, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR LEVELING RAILROAD-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,631, dated March 12, 1895.

Application filed October 23.1894. Serial No. 526.740. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern: t

Be it known that I, HIRAM H. SPONENBURG, of Wadsworth, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and Improved Apparatus for Use in Leveling Railroad- Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

It is the common practice at present, in leveling, t'. e., raising, 0r lowering, railroad tracks, to employ what is called a surfacingboard, which is set crosswiseupon the rails and supported by loose blocks, at some dulyselected point, and is then used as a target, or sight-board, in order to determine, by observation of the same from a more or less distant point on' the track, the required vertical adjustment, t'. c., raising or lowering, of the intermediate portion ofthe track. Improved leveling devices have been devised as substitutes for this crude and unsatisfactory one, and my invention is a further improvement in the same line.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side View of a section of a railroad track, illustrating the manner of practically using my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the measuring-board, or target, and its supporting standard, and lthe clip for securing the latter to a rail. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of said target and a portion of its support, or standard. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of two sight-boards, forming part of my apparatus.

My invention is embodied in the following parts: a target, or measuringboard, A, a slotted post or standard, B, for supporting it, a rail clamp, C, to which the said post is secured,and two sight boards, or blocks, D and E, which are adapted to be set upon a rail, and one of them to be clamped thereto.

I will first describe `the details of construction of the several parts, and then the manner of using them.

The target, A, is an oblong, rectangular metal plate, having a black lengthwise stripe, a, arranged centrally upon a white ground. The vertical standard, or post., B, has a cen.- tral lengthwise slot, and is supported by a horizontal foot, b, (Fig. 2,) which in practice rests upon the head, or ball, of one of the track rails. The said foot, b, is detachably secured to the rail clamp, C, by means of a bolt, d, and nut, e. The clamp consists of two right-angular spring plates, or jaws, c, having a lengthwise slot in their overlapping horizontal portions, to receive the said bolt, d. By this construction the jaws, c, of the clamp may be readily adjusted laterally, as required to adapt it to t tightly upon rails of dierent diameters. In some cases, the clamp C will be constructed without slots.

The standard, or post, B, is graduated in inches uponthe side adjacent to the target, A, to enable the elevation of the latter above the rail to be exactly ascertained. The back of the target isprovided with a transverse rib, a', (Fig. 2,) which fits loosely in the slot of the post, B, and the target is clamped to the latter in any adjustment by means of a scrw bolt,f, and'nut, g.

The sightblock or device, D, consists of a right-angular plate and a spring rail-clamp, C', similar to the clamp, C, before described. The said plate has a Wide, straight edge at the top of its horizontal portion.

The sight-block, or device, E, is similar to, D, save that it is not provided with a rail clamp.

The manner of using my invention is as follows: Suppose the target, or measuringboard, A, to be set ou a track, as shown in Fig. 1, at a point-say where the grade is the proper one-and the sight-block, D, to be clamped upon the same line of rail as the target, but at some distance from it, where the track gradeis too low. Then the second sight-block, E, is set on the rail at adistance from the first (D), and held in place by hand. It is obvious that, by sighting from the block, E, across, D, to the lower edge of the black stripe, ct, on the target, A, it can readily be ascertained whether the rail is level between the points, D, A-that is to say, if the upper edge of the block, D, is on the same line, or level, with the lower edge of `the target stripe, a, the rail is level; or if the block, D, is below such line Vot sight, the rail is depressed; and if the block, D, be above such line, then the rail is elevated above the true level.

It the target be set on a track rail that is depressed, say tive inches, below the true level, or proper grade, the target must be raised that much, which elevation is quickly ascer- Iof.

tained from the scale on the post, B. Then the sight blocks, D and E, are used as before.

In sighting around curves, it is sometimes impossible to see the target a sulicient distance ahead; and, for this reason l adapt the target to be extended laterally so as to project farther from the side of the track. This is effected by providing the target with a hole, a2, near each end, to receive the clamp bolt, Thus, as shown in `Fig. 2, the target may be set projecting nearly its Whole length from the rail on which it is supported.

It will be seen that, While the spring clamp holds the target,A,and sight-block, D, on the rail so that they are not liable to be displaced by accident or blown over by the Wind, they may be quickly detached, and reattached, as the progress ol' the work requires.

The materials of Which the post and board 2o are constructed are Wood or iron.

Vhat I claim isl. In an apparatus for use in leveling` railroad tracks, the combination, with the target-support, or post, having a horizontal base or foot, of a railclainp consisting of two rightangular jaws having slots in their overlapping horizontal portions, and a bolt and nut for fastening the jaws together, adjustably, as and foi-the purpose specified.

2. In an apparatus for use in leveling railroad tracks, the combination, with the vertical post, the clamp bolt, and a rail clamp attached to the post, of the target, having three aligned central holes to receive said bolt, two holes being near the ends and the other inid- Way between'the others, as shown and de scribed.

HIRAM Il. SPONENBURG.

Witnesses:

MICHAEL E. LUX, JOHN H. LUX. 

